We arrived on the Yucatan Peninsula via two flights early in the afternoon and were ready to make our final flight over to the island of Cozumel for our long weekend getaway. It was a long day of travel that was taking us from the doldrums of a Michigan winter to the tropical climate of Mexico. Merely a 20 minute flight and we would be relaxing oceanside enjoying guacamole, tacos and margaritas.
A real puddle jumper, Mayair’s Dornier 228 was a twin propped plane that seats less than 20. Due to the nature of its size, every seat was a window seat… and an aisle seat.
Because the seats weren’t really assigned, my awesome wife knew exactly where we need to sit — right outside the cockpit! We got some pretty cool video of takeoff and landing right over the pilots’ shoulders. They were pretty cool about it, too.
Cozumel is a slower paced tropical destination. Touristy? Certainly, but the island lacks some of the commercial draw for the massive crowds of Spring Breakers, partiers, and general tourists.
Accommodations on the island vary for whatever suits your style. There are many large hotels and all-inclusive resorts that would be beyond adequate for lodging. However, we chose to spend our nights within the main city of San Miguel in a small guesthouse named Los Alcatraces. A very affordable option, it kept us away from the larger crowds of tourists and allowed us to reside closer to the locals. To us, it is important to at least attempt to absorb some of the foreign culture while traveling.
Los Alcatraces was small, quiet and charming place to return to after a day of exploring. The chartreuse walls created a small courtyard in our urban hacienda that was lined with a few palms, ferns, cactus and other foliage commonly found in the desert.
Also within this space is a small 12×10 foot pool that sits in the corner hidden from much of the day’s sunlight. Too small for laps, but it was perfect to bring down the core temperature of a body long-heated by the Mexican sun.
The owners, Greg and Silvia were very friendly and gave us many suggestions for things to do. Although they lived on the grounds, themselves, they gave us the space to treat as our own. We didn’t see them too much throughout our stay, but we were left in good company with the house pets. Rosa would come and quietly sit with us in the afternoons.
Five blocks from our guesthouse, we found the town center, the ocean, and our favorite place for breakfast. Jeanie’s was a great restaurant with fantastic breakfast. Huevos rancheros for me every morning! Sure, the food was excellent and the service was impeccable, but it was the view that we looked forward to every morning.
Because Cozumel is a more relaxed, slower paced island, our choice for transportation was a little motor scooter. I’ve often heard about the dangers of riding scooters in foreign countries, but honestly we couldn’t have felt more safe. And its size and agility allowed us to maneuver around the entire island with ease.
The inhabitable portion of the island can really be divided into three parts. The first is the town of San Miguel and cruise ship ports. A lot of this area touristy, but some is not. We spend most of our time cruising around here checking out some shops, roaming the town streets, and looking for different places to eat. Every evening, we viewed a spectacular sunset from an oceanside patio.
The second part would be the hotel and resort district. From San Miguel to the lighthouse at Punta Sur, the west coast is dotted with hotels and resorts. It is about a 30 minute scooter ride to cover this area from north to south.
On our second day we found a great little beach club 10 miles out of town. Playa Palancar was far enough from the docked cruise ships to keep the beach from being over crowded. It was great place to sit back, unwind, and perhaps enjoy a fruity cocktail served up to your beach chair.
The third part of the island is what I refer to as the backside (east coast). Here, most of the shoreline isn’t protected by any major reef so the waves can be quite brutal. Also, much of the shoreline is made of sharp jagged rocks which make impossible to swim in many places. There are a few exceptions where sand has collected making great entry points for those interested in surfing.
About four or five laid back bars, restaurants and beach clubs line the east coast. They seem to serve as an oasis to any tourists or locals who want to venture away from the hustle of the other side.
As the sun was setting on our final night of this Mayan getaway, Beth and I were already planning for our return to this paradise. Perhaps not the most adventurous place to visit (relatively normal toilets, no malaria, no land mines), but Cozumel was a getaway from the normal routine. Yes, we will be back.
*** i guess i like sunsets. :/ ***
